The Committee for the Defence of Jews (, or CDJ; , JVD) was a group within the

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (, ) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many ...

, affiliated to the Front de l'Indépendance, founded by the Jewish Communist Hertz Jospa and his wife Have Groisman (

Yvonne Jospa Yvonne Jospa (''née'' Have Groisman, February 3, 1910 in Poputi, Bessarabia – January 20, 2000 in Brussels) was a cofounder and leading organizer of the '' Comité de Défense des Juifs'' in September 1942 with her husband Hertz Jospa, whi ...

) of ''Solidarité juive'' in September 1942. It was founded in the house of Fela and Chaim Perelman. The CDJ had thirty-odd members in its children's section alone. These members formed an effective committee and came from all political and religious horizons, overcoming their divergent views to unite for the sake of saving Jewish children. The CDJ succeeded in saving about 3,000 of the 5,000 children who became so-called hidden children (''enfants cachés''; hidden among non-Jewish Belgian families, convents, etc.). The CDJ was also involved in other aspects of the resistance, producing the clandestine publications such as the

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

periodical ''Unser Wort'' ("Our Word"). The CDJ also functioned as a national organisation in the field of social services. Its Children Section became responsible for hiding and supporting those who had gone underground. The co-operation and assistance from the non-Jewish sector was remarkable. As a result of its actions, it is thought that around 3,000 Jews were rescued from deportation. The price paid for this campaign, however, was high. Many members of the CDJ together with their collaborators were arrested by the authorities.

References

Additional bibliography and filmography

* * *Maxime Steinberg, "L'enfant caché, le défi à la Shoah" in Isabelle Emery (ed.), ''Histoire et mémoire des Juifs d'Anderlecht Années 20-40'', Anderlecht, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Comite de Defense des Juifs Organizations established in 1942 The Holocaust in Belgium Jewish resistance during the Holocaust 1942 establishments in Belgium Belgian resistance groups Secular Jewish culture in Europe Yiddish culture in Europe

See also

References

Additional bibliography and filmography